FEATURED ARTISTS

About Rusty clay

I was born July 21st 1963 and have loved music as far back as I can remember. I was cursed or blessed with a desire to write and play music which haunts my waking days and nights. I have written more than 120 songs and I will begin sharing them with anyone willing to listen. Some will be with a band and some will be just me and a guitar, some may be experiments in sound and others deep told storie
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Billy Value

Billy Value

When it comes to finding a place in the world I think my father put me on the path I'm on more than any other person I have ever met. Ours was a strange relationship in so many ways.

I can say without a doubt that he spent more time with me than anyone in his life, and spent hours and hours teaching me everything he knew, and I spent hours and hours trying to prove myself to him. However I always felt like I fell short of his expectations in part because he rarely if ever paid anyone a compliment myself included.

My dreams were foolish and a waste of time in his opinion and he saw little value in my talents or abilities and constantly pushed me towards what he felt was a better way to survive in this world, and yet he relied on my talents and abilities constantly to help him survive when he saw they could make him money.

I made many sacrifices to keep a roof over his head with each one pushing me further and further from my dreams until he died. In the process I learned how to do a great many things above and beyond anything I ever dreamed off and have a wealth of talents and skills beyond what I ever could have learned without his guidance.

I chose family over dreams no matter how painful the choice was time and time again. I was hurt and I was loved, and learned that that is what living life is all about.Today's song is called "I Remember You" It is about that relationship, sometimes dark, sometimes on edge, and sometimes a comfortable soothing flow of memories

A song is just a song unless you make it something more. As an artist you must remember that someone who hears your works will make more of it than others. That's why I always try to say something that can open others eyes as they open their ears. I also strive to avoid being a preacher. I want the flowers to bloom without knowing they are being watered with love and sunshine.

Todays song is about depression. I have a life long friend that suffers from it. He spent more than half his life not knowing he had it, until the feelings grew beyond anything he could bear and he sought out treatment. When he told me of his diagnosis everything clicked into place and I knew the diagnosis was correct. It's something he will have to live with. There are treatments, but so far none that I know of that will cure him. He has gotten better with some treatments and medications, but they are like a band aid protecting a wound.

In all honesty I think we all suffer from varying degrees of different types of mental illness, and I'm sure we all have or will go through a period or two of depression. I know I have, but what I have experienced is like putting your foot in the water. You are still able to pull it out. My friend on the other hand is up to his neck and no mater how far he walks he's still neck deep.

Todays song is "Don't Know Why I can't Be A Happy Guy". I put myself in my friends place and drew upon my personal feelings and how I imagined he feels.

Becoming someone else and writing a song about their struggles is actually very freeing and a powerful songwriting tool I enjoy using very much. It also makes you very vulnerable to those that listen and brings out pieces of your character that often lay hidden within. As an artist that's what we strive to do, and in doing so, we hope it brings others to do the same.

I know I can never feel what my friend really feels, but I hope I can at least reach a depth that bring light to a problem so many suffer from and help the listener reach a level of awareness that moves them to see a problem that causes so many to hide from the light.

I love hearing from you so please fee free to share your thoughts or say hi.

I thought I'd start the year out with one of my favorite songs that I wrote, and with it talk about something many artists and I have in common. Presenting idea's. Sometimes ideas come quick and fast, so fast in fact that we literally forget them within an hour if we don't document them. Other times they linger and ferment until we are ready to create them.

We think about those ideas and shape them in our minds until we are ready to give them birth. Then as we start to shape them, they change and become real. We try to keep them as close as we can to what we originally envision, and the closer we get to that vision the greater the internal reward. However as any parent knows you must give your children the freedom to grow and evolve. As an artist those choices can stop and kill a song so we are always guarding our ideas to protect our precious works of art. However we should never be afraid to try changes or listen to constructive critiques. Knowing what to change is what makes us artists. Listening to the universe around us and using it's synchronicity often takes us to new and greater visions.

The great thing about songwriting is that a song continues to evolve beyond its initial recordings as other artists present their versions of our vision. A perfect example is the song All Along the Watchtower by Bob Dylan and then reworked by Jimmy Hendrix, wow that idea takes off in a direction that no one ever suspected it could go. Another great example of how a song evolves is Strawberry Fields Forever by Lennon and McCartney. You can now listen to the various takes and recordings and witness the growth of one of the greatest modern songs. This growth is an inspiration to all struggling artists and I highly recommend a listen. listen as an idea becomes a masterpiece over a series of seventeen takes

I'm not sure of the where or when I had the idea for A Ghost of the City. What I can tell you is that the Idea sat in my brain for a very long time, over a decade. It's a story of the old west overlaid upon current times. A story of human nature never changing, and that the roles we played 100 years ago are the same roles we play today, and they will be the same roles we play 100 years from now.

A Ghost of the City is a complete story set to music. When I finally sat down to write it, I spent a morning, and then came back to it several times. I showed it to a friend who thought it was great. We talked for a while and then later after he left I found inspiration for a better ending through a rhyme he jokingly used. That rhyme inspired me to rewrite the last couple of verses and give the song a cycle of completion it lacked.

I still needed music to go with the words and felt like I had written something on par with the Hotel California by the Eagles(hey it's my ego, my song so I can dream if I want) so I used that song as a starting place, a great story needs great music.

I started to sing the words and the chords slowly fell into place. I went into the studio and recorded everything as you hear it and listened and rerecorded, and listened, made changes, and rerecorded the piece 4 times until I ended up with the version you hear now. I hope you enjoy this modern tale about the outlaws of the old west living in the modern age.

I've uploaded what I call an anti anti Christmas song. It was inspired by an atheist that compared God to a jug of milk. Frankly I don't care what anyone believes, but I respect their right to believe what they do as long as they don't start preaching to me about how I should convert or follow their beliefs, or tell me mine are stupid, and I'm dumb for believing them. I wanted to write a song that told those people how hurtful they can be. The song is also a message to those who believe in Christmas. Don't let them take away your Christmas.

Merry Christmas to everyone that believesand a Happy Holiday season and time to everyone else whatever your beliefs may be

I was only planning on posting one new song today, but as I walked out the door and left my house I saw my neighbor beating his wife. He had charged up the stairs of his porch and slammed her into the wall and then began choking her. I called to him to stop and he turned toward me with a blank look on his face. I could see his rage begin to shift towards me and then he started to come towards me. I quickly told him I saw everything and that I was going to call the police. He stopped and turned towards his wife who had her hand on her throat and was grasping for air. I reached for my phone and realized I left it in the house charging so I ran inside and grabbed it and quickly dialed 911. He fled while I was in the house, but I called the police anyway. I was late for work so I don't know how things worked out, but I'll risk an angry neighbor or two to prevent a catastrophe. I like to listen to the universe and so I am going to post a song I wrote about domestic violence called Better Left Unsaid. Its a story about a broken family. I think its a great song, however It is only in a demo state at this point One day I hope I can revisit it and give it the proper care it deserves, but it is now here for your enjoyment.

The song I originally wanted to post is called Run Devil Run and it is about a man selling his soul to the devil. I had just bought a program called Ableton and had sat down and began playing with the sounds. This song came about after 3 hours of playing around. None of the words or music existed before I sat down and I went to bed with the finished piece you hear now. All the music was generated on a typewriter keyboard, and as I got a feel for the song I wrote down some words and then sang them.When I woke I listened to what I had created but had no clue at all as to what the notes were or how I could play the song live for anyone and so I rewrote it. It became The Devil's Kitchen or The Devil's Jamboree. I rewrote the song on a Sunday morning in a matter of 2-3 hours. Both songs are as different as can be. It's just me and a guitar, and I can't say I like one more than the other, but I hope you enjoy listening to both versions. Again thanks for subscribing. I hope you enjoy the stories and insights and don't be shy. If you have something to say please dotill next timeBelieve in LoveRusty Clay